


The Mysterious Eighth (Leo/Reader)

by Alexwit1325



Series: The Heroes of Olympus [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Camp Half-Blood, Demigods, F/M, Monsters, Ogres, Possible Character Death, Possible Sad Ending, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-07-14 08:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7162634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexwit1325/pseuds/Alexwit1325
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't perfect, anyone could see that. But it was your life and you'd long since accepted it. You finally allowed yourself to admit that you were doing fine with your dad in New York. But of course that cursed you. You soon find out that in a single moment, a single day, a single discovery, everything can change. You find out that you're the newest part of a Great Prophecy. You find out that you're The Mysterious Eighth...<br/>(P.S. Thanks to a wonderful genius on DeviantArt, I was able to title this story 'The Mysterious Eighth'. I'm sad to say I can no longer find this brilliant person, but if you ever read this, please contact me so I can give you the credit you deserve! I will never be able to thank you enough, previously known as 'The ConsultingAuthor'! Thank you!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure if this will ever really be updated fully. But the plan is to finish it before I'm dead. Sorry to disappoint! But this is your heads up. Don't get too invested in this.

You moved with your dad to an apartment in New York City a few years ago, and lived there until you were about 14. Everything was fine until _that_ day. You will curse that day for the rest of your life.

It all started when your dad and you were just taking a walk through a forested area in upstate New York.  
You had shared a (preferred pastry or dessert) at a local bakery in celebration of your birthday, before driving to the nearest forested park to walk together on the overgrown paths.   
The day was going perfectly, and you were finally happy. It wasn't often that you got to spend time with your dad. He usually wouldn't leave his room unless it was for dinner.  
Your dad was a failed magician from Las Vegas. Once, he had been the greatest entertainer in the city. People loved him.  
Then they didn't.  
Just like that, fame and fortune gone.  
People said it was 'the way of the business', but that didn't help with the bills. Soon, your father and you were evicted and your dad fled to the other side of the country in shame. But he'd never admit that. On the way over at least, he'd say that you were moving to New York City for a fresh start, but within a few weeks, it became clear a fresh start wasn't going to happen.  
Instead of him looking for a job, your dad seemed to just wallow in self pity most of the time. This left you to pick up the slack around the small, dinky apartment you shared. Every morning you cooked breakfast for yourself in the kitchen that seemed to have a permanent layer of grease and grime to it, and before you departed for school, you left your father a little lunch in the fridge that wouldn't even open unless you pulled with the strength of a super soldier. Then you spent your day at school, focusing intensely on your classwork to avoid the fact that you didn't have any friends.  
When the final bell rang, you returned home, made dinner, cleaned up the crappy apartment the best that you could despite its peeling paint and moldy corners, then did all of your homework, and finally readied yourself for bed. Then it was a fitful night of vivid dreams before you had to get up and do it all over again.  
Sometimes you hated your dad for his lack of help. You couldn't help it. It wasn't like you didn't love him. You did. Sure, he was frustrating, but at least you knew he loved you. And he did try sometimes. He actually went to a job interview that week. Things were looking up, and this walk with him, you knew had to be a sign of good things to come.  
You couldn't have been more wrong. You should have known you weren't that lucky. You should have known everything had to change for the worse.

While you took your stroll, you joked with your dad about walking off the calories of the (pastry). More like he was joking, and you were laughing. If there was one thing he never failed to do, he always made you laugh, and you knew why he did it. He told you once that your laugh was the best thing about his screwed up life, and he never wanted to live a day without hearing it. That thought made you smile every time it popped into your head, and helped you through some of the worst parts of moving from Las Vegas to NYC.  
You continued to walk in pure bliss for a while, but it didn't last for long.  
As you both made your way down a particularly dense path, something rustled in the bushes farther in the forest.   
"Oh dad! Do you think we'll see a rabbit? Or a deer? You definitely can't see one of those in the city," you joked and elbowed your dad, looking up to see him distractedly staring where the rustle had come for.   
"Dad?"  
He seemed to snap out of it and looked down at you. He smiled, "Yeah. Yeah, that would be cool, wouldn't it?" Gently, your dad guided you in front of him as you continued walking.  
It was while you were walking in front of him that suddenly, bursting through the trees behind you, what you could only describe as a Minotaur from old Greek myths charged out of nowhere, heading toward you. You didn't even have time to scream. Immediately, your dad pushed you behind him and told you to run. You stumbled in shock for a moment until he frantically yelled, "Didn't you hear me Y/N?! Run!!" You turned and did as your father told you.   
You ran.  
Before you took off, you thought you saw your dad pull off his class ring and turn it into a sword.  
You didn't make it very far before you heard a strangled yell come from behind you. You immediately recognized it as your dad's and you stumbled, falling to the ground. You felt as if your heart had stopped, and you covered your mouth with the back of your hand, dirt and leaves covering your palms that you used to brace your fall.   
Tears started to stream down your face, but the roar of the Minotaur getting closer dragged you out of your horror. You leaped up again and ran for your life, even more terrified than before. Branches and bushes scraped at your legs and arms, but you hardly noticed.  
You saw the edge of the forest up ahead, but the monster was gaining on you. Adrenaline pushed you forward, and finally you burst through the trees. You screamed for help, hoping someone was nearby, even though you felt that nothing would be able to save you from this monster. Unfortunately, you had stumbled across nothing but an abandoned barn on an empty field.  
You kept running, straight in to the faded red building. Only after you tried tugging on the wooden door at the other end did you realize your mistake. You were trapped.  
The hideous monster charged through the open barn doors behind you and broke off parts of the wooden wall with it. When it realized it had you cornered, it stopped its charge. You pressed yourself against the wall, tears of fear streaming down your face, and hoped that it would kill you quickly.  
The monster rose to its full height and towered over you. It's nostrils flared, and it's beady eyes bared into your soul. Your entire body shook in fear.   
Then you saw one of its horns. It was covered with blood. Somewhere deep inside, you just knew it was your fathers'. Pain wracked your body, and it wasn't from your run through the woods. This time tears of grief flowed freely down your cheeks as you realized that your dad had died fighting this thing, trying to protect you. Now it would all be in vain. You were going to die. Tears continued to slide down your cheeks, and you felt as if you had let him down.  
The Minotaur finally reared back as it prepared to make its kill.   
You raised your arms as a last pathetic act of defense, mostly on instinct. The beast charged with its horns. You screamed. A bright light exploded from your hands.  
And just like that, the beast was gone. A pile of dust the only indication of its existence.   
You had no idea what had happened. You didn't even try to figure it out. You just took off again.  
Most of the day after that became a blur. Somehow, you got back home.   
You packed all you could in your backpack, took the small, crumpled stash of money from under your dad's bed, and ran away that day.

You remember there being things on the news about your fathers death, and the search for you. It wasn't a full story, but most people thought you had been kidnapped by the murderer. But you didn't have time to go back and explain what happened. No one would've believed you anyway. Besides, most of the time you were too busy hiding from monsters.   
Eventually, you figured out that you had some kind of magic. It was all you could think of to describe the strange things you could do, and being a magicians daughter made it an easy explanation.  
You tried practicing with your magic, mostly using it to destroy the monsters that chased you, and soon you thought you were quite good.   
Finally, soon after you turned 15, you stumbled upon Camp Half-Blood. It was a relief to find safety, but there were always more dangers awaiting you.


	2. Aren't Birthdays Supposed to be Special?

It was early morning on your fifteenth birthday. The sun just beginning to rise in the east, but you couldn't see it very well through the trees. Your small fire died out as you sat holding a small box, contemplating the past year.  
It hadn't been like any other birthday you had before. And that wasn't a good thing. There was no cake, no balloons, no friends (not that you ever had many friends), and no dad... Weren't birthdays supposed to be special? All you had was a pathetic cupcake you wasted some of your money rations on and risked discovery by the police trying to buy it from a supermarket.  
As you stared at the little cupcake with (f/c) icing and (2nd/f/c) sprinkles, you sat on the forest ground in front of your menial fire, that was mostly embers now, and remembered the day a little over a year ago, when your life was flipped upside down. It had been not far from here too. Funny how even though you tried to get out of New York, you still ended up on Long Island, about the same place you left, almost a year later. You had shared a (pastry), similar to the cupcake you were now holding, with your dad that day...   
You tried to push down the memory. You'd had enough terrifying nightmares about monsters and creepy talking mountains, and you didn't need to add a terrifying memory to the mix.  
A tear escaped, though, and fell onto the cupcake's icing. You shook your head and closed the cupcake in its box. _Stop pitying yourself_ , you scolded your aching heart. You needed to keep moving. Over the past year, you guessed that the monsters could smell you. You didn't know how they did it, but they always found you.  
You stood up and brushed yourself off before beginning to clean and pack up your little campsite. You rolled up your sleeping bag, scattered the remnants of your fire, and packed your cupcake into your backpack.  
The sun had just started to filter through the canopy as you finished, when suddenly a group of six ogres burst through the trees to your left. The ugly beasts were like giant, hairy surfer dudes. They wore only surf shorts, and tattoos covered their sunburn red skin. From eight feet tall they stared down at you. All of you stood at a standstill for a moment, simply staring at each other, waiting for the first move. Then one of them shouted, "Food! Yummy demigod food!"  
You sighed and shook your head. Every monster you had met that could talk, even slightly, had gotten to the same conclusion. You had an idea of what they were talking about, since you had studied Greek myths in middle school, but it sounded so ridiculous that you always dismissed it. The first time you had heard it, from a fury you think it was, you thought to yourself, _What? Like, half god? Yeah, I don't think so._  
You had stood there long enough. You needed to get out of there. So you mumbled under your breath, "Here we go again...," before you shot your hands up in front of you, palms out and locked elbows. You focused your magic and a bright light emitted from your hands. Two of the beasts vaporized into dust. You took off running, but as you did, you thought you saw the piles of dust start to reform.  
 _What?! No way! That is not supposed to happen..._ You couldn't help but wonder when monsters started to be able to reform, but your thoughts were interrupted with the roars of the remaining four ogres. They bellowed in anger and charged after you through the forest.   
You were getting so sick of these monster chases.  
They pursued you far into the forest. So far in that you didn't know where you were going anymore. You just blindly ran through the trees.   
As you ran, you created a glowing sphere in your hands with little blue flames rising off of it. Satisfied with your creation, you threw it into the air and it stayed levitated about six feet off the ground.  
You took off again, and when you heard a raging yell from one of the beasts, you knew your trap had done its job. You turned around a cluster of trees to hide and set another trap. This time, you conjured an electric fence, activated by touch. The ogres rounded the cluster of trees you had been hiding behind and saw you. Your eyes widened and you ran again. You didn't look back, but you heard two more go down, before the third continued to charge after you. He was obviously not as stupid as the others, but that wasn't a problem. You knew for a fact that you were smarter than him. You just had to think of another trap.  
You tried to think of a way to take down the last monster as you dashed through the woods of Long Island. Branches whipped at your face, arms, and legs, leaving small cuts across your skin as you dashed though the forest.   
You couldn't help remembering the first time you ran for your life through a forest, a monster closing in behind you. This time, though, you were determined to keep going. Your dad's death would not be in vain.   
_Vain. Vines. Forest. Duh!_ Finally, you had an idea. As you tried to think of a way to use the forest to your advantage, the ogre threw his spear, slicing your side, right below the ribs. You cried out but didn't have time to assess the damage and immediately pressed your hand to your side and tried to stop the bleeding. You kept running.   
Up ahead, you saw a hill and a tall pine tree, and a strange feeling of safety came over you. If you could just get over that ridge.  
The edges of your vision were going black from the loss of blood, but being so close to safety gave you a burst of adrenaline.  
You noticed a dragon curled around the pine tree, and it lifted its head as you began to climb the hill. You raised your spare hand in defense as fire shot out of the dragon's mouth. Panic surged through you. Somehow, the flames curved over your head. You turned just in time to see the monster that was chasing you be incinerated by the dragon's breath.   
Thankfully, the dragon didn't try to do the same to you, and it curled up around the pine again. You stood in shock, but the adrenaline was quickly fading. Black spots began to crowd the edges of your vision again, and you pushed yourself up the final few feet of the hill. As soon as you made it past the pine tree, you collapsed.  
A pair of kids came running toward you. The last thing you saw before the blackness completely enveloped your vision was your blood covered hand falling to the ground next to you.


	3. Centaurs and Kaleidoscopes and Campfires, Oh My!

You woke up in a strange room with bright light filtering through the windows, making you realize that it must be sunset. Then, you realized you were lying on a cot. You groaned and rubbed your eyes, not able to remember anything. All you knew was that your whole body ached, but the worst of it came from your side. You tried to sit up, but a shooting pain engulfed your body. It felt like someone was stabbing you.  
You managed to sit up through lots of pain and gasping. Then you cautiously lifted the cotton sheets to see that your stomach was wrapped with white gauze. A red stain was on your side. Seeing the wrapped wound brought back your memories.   
_The ogres, the dragon, the pine tree... This birthday is not starting out well..._ You dropped the sheets and put your head in your hands.  
You looked around again and felt uneasy. You had no idea where you were, and you weren't sure you wanted to stay. But you knew you were in no shape to travel. You started to go through different excuses and escape plans, in case you needed to explain yourself to the police, or make a hasty exit. Before you could think of a single lie, a centaur walked into the room.   
A real centaur.   
It took you a moment to get over the shock. Of course you had read about these creatures, but you never thought you would meet one. The only thought that seemed to be in your mind was,  _Well, I haven't been found by the police._  
The white bodied centaur introduced himself, "Hello, I am Chiron. You must have many questions, but you also need to heal and regain your strength." He gestured beside you. For the first time, you noticed that there was a small, round wooden table beside you. It held a plate with a golden square on it and next to it sat a glass with golden liquid.  
"No thank you. I feel fine," you mutter, sitting up straight.  
Chiron replied, "I understand your mistrust. Perhaps later." You both sat in silence for a moment, before you finally asked, "Where am I?" The centaur smiled and told you, "Camp Half-Blood of course!" You nodded, even though you had no idea what he was talking about. Though he acted as if it was an obvious thing that you should know.   
Then he asked, "Are you able to stand?"  
You were still wary of who he might be, and if you could trust him, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't want the answer to that question too. If you could stand, that was one step closer to being able to run. So in reply, you slid off the cot, with much wincing and grimacing. Your feet touched the wooden floor and you attempted to stand. You straightened your form, your fingers letting go of the edge of the cot, but your side sent out a fiery stab of pain, and you collapsed to the ground with a yelp.   
Chiron trotted over to you and held out a hand. At first you flinched away, but he just smiled down at you. His smile was warm and genuine and his eyes held only concern. Finally, you accepted his help. Besides, if these people wanted you dead, they could have left you to bleed out on that hill. Unless, of course, they wanted to torture you or something. But that didn't make much sense either.  
Chiron carefully helped you back onto the cot. As soon as you were settled, he asked, "What is your name, child?" You stared at him, wondering how much to reveal. You decided on just your first name for now, "(Y/N)." He became grim, and stroked his beard in thought. You were about to ask if anything was wrong, when he spoke again, "Did you live with anyone, (Y/N), before you were chased here?" You looked down at your hands, as they began to fiddle with the sheets. The questions were starting to become a bit more personal. You didn't want to answer, but you sighed and looked up to see that Chiron the centaur was staring quite intently at you. You looked back down again, and reluctantly said, "Technically, no. I'm what people call a runaway. Though I don't know how you can run away from something that isn't there." You quieted as you finished, then you made sure to add, "I don't like talking about it. So could you please, maybe, not tell anyone?"  
Chiron continued to frown, and said absently, "Yes, of course. But-" Before Chiron could ask his next question, a very pretty girl around your age walked in. She had slightly choppy brown hair and kaleidoscope eyes that seemed to change colors. You guessed she was probably trying to hide her beauty, but it wasn't really working.   
She didn't seem to notice you at first, and spoke directly to Chiron, "Chiron, the campers are already singing around the campfire. Are you ready-" Then she finally saw you.   
You stared, waiting for her to greet you. The girl blinked, put one hand on the handle of what looked like a dagger in a sheath, and asked Chiron, without taking her eyes from you, "Who is this?"   
He grimly replied, "She's the girl that crossed our borders earlier today... And the eighth member of the prophecy." He added the last part as if he was just now confirming it for himself. You looked at Chiron with confusion, "What prophecy?" You were about to inquire more, but the girl cut in, "Chiron! That's impossible. The prophecy reads 'Seven half-bloods shall answer the call'. Where does this girl come in?!"  
"I said the very same thing when Rachel visited me a few days ago. She was possessed by the oracle and said that an eighth member was to be chased by ogres into our gates. This girl has. This (Y/N)...?" Chiron motioned at you. You sighed and gave them your last name, "Castillo. (Y/N) Castillo."   
Chiron nodded and continued, "I will explain more of this later. Please wait for us at the campfire, Piper." The girl, apparently Piper, frowned, "But-"  
"We will meet you at the campfire. Thank you," Chiron said with force. Piper frowned and left reluctantly.  
Chiron waited until she was out of earshot, and turned back to you. "You may follow me to the campfire. I will make a formal announcement there." He turned to leave, and you tried to follow. Forgetting what had happened last time, you collapsed again. Chiron turned back to you and added, "On second thought. Perhaps-" He held out his hand. You took it, and was surprised as he swung you onto his back. But the movement pained you, and you bit your lip to keep from screaming.  
You were just able to contain your gasps as Chiron swiftly made his way through the camp. Finally you reached the giant, blazing campfire.


	4. An Oracle to Recite a Prophecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel!

Chiron galloped up to the large bonfire and you carefully slid off, quickly finding a seat to relax on before your body could give out again. With the amount of kids surrounding the flames, it would be a nightmare to embarrass yourself like that.   
They were all chatting among themselves, but quieted as the centaur struck his hoof against a large, flat stone. As soon as Chiron held their attention, he spoke, "Campers! I would like to introduce a new demigod! Y/N Castillo!" There was that word again. _Demigod? Seriously?_  Though after seeing a centaur, a dragon, and a whole bunch of monsters, maybe you being half god wouldn't be so odd.  
Another phrase brought your attention back to Chiron, "...The Second Great Prophecy!" Those gathered started to gasp and whisper. It made you wonder what was so wrong with being part of a prophecy.  
Chiron struck his hoof a few more times on the stone and the gossiping died down. With a frown, Chiron explained, "I understand that this is a shock. And I am completely aware the prophecy states that only seven half-bloods shall answer the call, but the oracle has stated otherwise, and that means that Miss Castillo is the eighth member of the prophecy." He turned to a group of kids, and the Piper girl was with them. He said to them, "Jason, Leo, Piper, Annabeth, I need to see you all in the Big House."  
Without waiting for a reply, or even acknowledgement, Chiron helped you onto his back again and galloped back toward the large, sky blue building.

The centaur led you into a room that looked suspiciously like a game room of some sort, with Pac-Man and a ping-pong table. He pulled up a chair next to him, and helped you into it. Gratefully, you sat down again. Riding centaurs is not recommended for those with bleeding gashes in their sides.  
It wasn't long before the group of kids Chiron had spoken to arrived and took seats around the ping-pong table. An awkward silence filled the room as everyone stared at you. Some had shock on their faces, others just looked upset. Either way, you couldn't stand that many people looking at you so intently, and you dropped your gaze to your hands, which you started to fiddle with again. Finally, Chiron spoke up, "Now, I know this changes some things-" Whatever he planned on saying, the centaur didn't get to finish. The four kids suddenly all started talking at once.   
"What do you mean, there's a new member of the Prophecy?!"  
"Who even has the authority to change it like that?"  
"Do you realize that now I have to change the plans for the _Argo II_?"  
"Is this some kind of joke?!"  
It took a few tries, but Chiron was able to calm them all down enough to talk sensibly, "I'm afraid I am not able to answer all of your questions, as I don't have many answers myself, but I will do my best to answer what I can." They all opened their mouths to speak, but he put up his hands and added, "One at a time."  
The blonde girl stood, a hand on her own dagger. She looked dangerous. Like someone you wouldn't want to be on the bad side of. For a moment, you thought she would attack you, but she turned her gaze to Chiron and asked, "What does this mean for Percy?" Desperation flashed like lightning across her stormy grey eyes. You didn't know this Percy fellow she was talking about, but you could tell he was important to her.  
Chiron sighed and responded, "As far as I know, this has not changed anything about Percy Jackson's disappearance. I'm sorry that I can't tell you more Annabeth." The girl's shoulders fell for a moment, but Piper stole your attention and spoke up, "Um, you said Rachel told you all of this, but what did she say exactly?" Chiron was about to answer, but he seemed to change his mind. He gestured behind them, and said, "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Everyone turned to see a girl with frizzy red hair and freckles across her nose, standing in the doorway. Rachel, you assumed. She smiled nervously and said, "Had a feeling you guys would want to talk to me."  
Annabeth walked over to her and carefully asked, "Rachel, how can the Prophecy just change like that? What did it change to, exactly?" Rachel grimaced and answered, "I can't tell you how or why, I just recite what the oracle wants. If you wanted answers like that, you might have to ask the Fates themselves. As for the second question..." She nodded, "That I can do for you. Whether or not you like it, is something else beyond my control." She took a deep breath and recited the prophecy; the new prophecy, " _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire, the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath; and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death..._ " She paused for a moment, then continued, " _But first an eighth half-blood must answer the call; chased by ogres, with two torches crossed..._ " Rachel trailed off, and her eyes suddenly found the floor interesting. When she looked up again, she gulped and said, "Uhh... Yeah, that's about all I know..." The four kids exchanged looks. You all knew she was lying, and turned to Chiron for more information, expecting him to make her spill what she knew.   
Instead of a firm command to tell them more about the Prophecy, Chiron shared a look with Rachel. After what looked like an intense mental conversation, Chiron cleared his throat and said, "Well, it seems we'll have to work with what we have until Rachel is able to...remember something else."  
An uneasy feeling twisted your stomach. They were hiding something. Something important that apparently had to do with you, and your life. Not to mention the lives of seven other kids like you. It seriously worried you, and with one look at the other demigods faces, you knew they shared the same feelings.  
The room was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, the blond boy with the scar on his lip, spoke, "Well... That's...definitely a new line to work with..."  
"You said it bro," added a Hispanic boy with curly hair.  
Piper nodded and asked, "Yeah, but what does it even mean?"  
Annabeth, still standing next to Rachel, had her knuckle pressed against her chin when she answered, "Well it's obvious the 'chased by ogres' part has already happened."  
"Uhh, sorry to burst the bubble of productivity going on here," said the curly haired boy, "but don't kids get chased by monsters into camp all the time? I mean, next week some kid might be chased by ogres into camp, and then what? Will we have two new prophecy members?" The blond boy spoke up, "Leo has a good point. This girl being chased by ogres into camp doesn't prove that she's a member of the Prophecy. Um, no offense." He smiled apologetically at you. You just nodded, not trusting yourself to speak.  
Annabeth's eyes narrowed in concentration, then she frowned at the new information. She sighed, "Then all we have to work with is this 'two torches crossed' thing." The curly haired boy, Leo, turned to you and rested his chin on his hands. With a grin, he asked, "You don't happen to have any torches on you, do you?" You shook your head and shrugged. As far as you knew, you never brought torches in your backpack. The boy sighed and turned to the rest, "Well! That's a bust. Maybe there was a mix up with the prophecy delivering unit-" He stopped talking when he saw everyone staring at you. You noticed it too, and immediately tensed. Their faces displayed shock and a bit of awe. As soon as Leo turned and looked at you, he gasped, and his jaw joined the others' on the floor. Your breaths started to quicken and you worriedly asked, "Wh-what's wrong?"  
"That solves the 'two torches crossed' part...", Piper pointed above your head. Tentatively, you looked up. A holographic type image hovered over you, and you were just able to make out a symbol before it faded away: Two torches crossed.


End file.
